Where is the enemy soldier crawling through the mud listed in the credits? What was his name?
Also does anyone have any pics or know of any online? I've tried googling hamburger hill but I can't find any pics of the NVA soldier with the RPG.
I think he was called Han.
He is probably a Kit Carsons scout. Basically these were VC soldiers who had defected from the North and were now fighting for the south. He was just highlighting how easy it was to crawl through the barbed wire and sneak up on the U.S soldiers.
I don't think the RPG was supposed to be real, just a simulation showing how easily the NVA could get something like that under the fence. In the 70's and 80's(and into today) the Army makes molded copies of Soviet weapons for training purposes.
They showed an RPG later in the movie I think which was real, so they had one on set with the prop or weapons guy if they had wanted it for the Han scene.
BradLaGrange
no real B-40 RPG looked like the one in the film. I think it was just used for training effect. Too long - no wood... looked like a length of pipe with RPG rocket stuck into the end of it.
share[deleted]
i dunno but are RPG's really supposed to have a bend in it?
shareThat looked like it was a wooden prop, basically not the real thing.
share[deleted]
[deleted]
I've been told it was actually a real RPG used in that scene in platoon
shareThey wont be using grenades or rockets on a movie set sorry, maybe it was real but it would not be live ammo
shareIt WAS an actual RPG in Platoon, just check the god-damned trivia for it!
Savior, conqueror, hero, villian. You are all of these things, Revan and yet you are nothing.
Did they have to slow the scene down for us to see it? I've seen RPG's fired in real live combat videos and you wouldn't even know if an RPG passed by you because they literally fly past at bullet speed. You'd only tell one was fired at you by the distinctive "whooshing" noise it makes.
I dunno. acctually I haven't seen Platoon in ages, maybe I should go back and watch to see.
Han came over on the "Chieu hoi" (I Surrender)programme, MACV dropped lots of leaflets over suspected VC/NVA areas encouraging them to surrender.
"Someone shoulda told ya - never give an Irishman good cause for revenge,"
"This is Hahn. Those of you who are foolish will think of him as g ook, slope, slant or dink. He is your enemy. He came over on the Chieu Hoi program and he will go back out there after he fattens up on c-rations and he will be hunting
your young asses in the Ashau Valley."
http://www.psywarrior.com/ChieuHoiProgram.html
The Viet Cong and NVA recieved massive numbers of rocket propelled grenade launchers throughout the conflict. These were supplied by the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, who supported North Vietnam. They mainly consisted of the RPG-2 (the Chinese copy is designated the Type 56) and the RPG-7 (the Chinese copy is designated the Type 67). I have not seen the movie in a while, but if I recall correctly, the "RPG" in the scene you are talking about was most definently a wooden mock-up.
If anyone has any questions, I can provide them a link.
As for the availiability of RPG launchers and their rockets, that was not a problem. The US Army captured plenty during the Vietnam Conflict and you could just as easily get them from most countries in the third world, as practically everyone who claimed they were a socialist movement during the Cold War recieved aid from the Soviet Union. More were probably captured during the operations in El Salvadore and Grenada. In fact, I have a picture of a modified RPG that was used as an indirect fire support weapon using modified 81mm mortar shells, it was captured in El Salvadore. If you go to the Westpoint Arms Museam they also have an RPG there. The US military probably had a cache for familiarisation training. To this day they still have large caches of foriegn weapons to train soldeirs who take the Foriegn Weapons Familirisation course. Also, Green Beret Weapons Sergeants are tested extensively on foriegn weapons, as it is their responsibility to train foriegn fighters on the available weapons systems. RPGs are necessary for this. I have a video that shows an RPG-7 being used during Green Beret training.
Why would they allow him to "fatten up" only to be released to go kill US soldiers...or am I just missing something?
shareJ2:
Sgt. Franz was trying to put 'the fear of Charlie' in the New Guys to let them know what they were up against...Kit Carsons/Chieu Hois were defectors from the NVA/VC who deserted/rallied & actively supported the US/SVN armed forces---from what I have read, they were NOT always trusted but MANY were QUITE loyal...the point Franz was probably stressing was that there were LOTS of guys who were JUST as skilled & capable as "Hahn" who could slither through the wires, minefields & obstacles of any remote base & KILL them IF they (The NEW guys) got lax or sloppy...
NM
SAWGunner:
No doubt that the VC/NVA had lots of RPGs in their arsenal; I finished reading a book about the Battle of Firebase Ripcord (The LAST BIG Battle fought by a US Army Unit in Vietnam---AND IRONICALLY ENOUGH it was the 101st again in the A-Shau Valley) & more than a few of the witnesses recalled moments where the NVA assault teams would be launching 15-20 RPGs at a time....
NM